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Monday, March 7, 2011

I went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum yesterday, and discovered that plans are definitely underway in advance of the Indy 500 Centennial celebration. IMS had previously announced they would be moving out several displays to make room for every available Indy 500-winning car, and it appeared that's just what they were doing.

Half the museum was roped off and almost half-empty, but you could see there had been a great deal of movement. Buddy Lazier's '96 winner was off in the corner, whereas Jack Brabham's 1961 Cooper Climax was next to a beautiful '27 Duesenberg. Bobby Unser's '75-winning Jorgenson Eagle sat nearby. There were still non-500 winners like these last two, but they're becoming few and far between. The NASCAR display and the motorcycles were likewise gone, along with several of the early examples of Hoosier auto company lines.

If you're thinking of a trip out there right now, between the track tour, photo and gift shops, and cars that are actively on exhibit, there's still plenty to see, so don't worry on that account.

The lady working the ticket counter said they hoped to have all the 500-winning cars done and moved in by next month, and I'll definitely have to come back for that. This is just another reminder that in this Centennial Indy 500 year, we can expect plenty of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. And it's getting closer by the day.